General Manager
Michael Noland said that he specifically wants NICTD’s marketing agency, AC
Inc. of Valparaiso, to increase the commuter line’s presence in Lake
Michigan’s South Shore communities, via local targeted print media; to
promote the Sunrise Express on regional radio; and to get “The Train is
Easy” catchline on more billboards.
“There are
opportunities along the lakefront communities,” Noland said, as well as
among those “people who have no idea we’ve enhanced service. Two-hundred new
riders? That’s a home run.”
Noland added that
he “would like to see this the new marketing budget going forward.”
Ridership Numbers
Meanwhile, NICTD
Marketing Director John Parsons reported that total ridership through April
was 1,126,026, an increase over the year-ago period of 18,947 riders or 1.7
percent. The average weekday ridership was 11,517, an increase of 86 riders
or 0.8 percent. The average peak ridership was 8,632, an increase of 119
riders or 1.4 percent.
Average off-peak
ridership, on the other hand, fell by 1.1 percent to 2,885; while average
weekend fell by 0.1 percent to 4,223.
NICTD launched the
Sunrise Express in the week of March 16, when 1,981 people rode morning
rush-hour trains No. 104, 6 (the Sunrise Express), 106, and 108. Ridership
promptly fell over the next two weeks, to a low of 1,871, corresponding to
the spring break holiday period, then began climbing steadily back up, to a
high of 2,086 in the week of May 11, reflecting an increase of 215 riders or
11 percent since the launch week of March 16.
“That’s a good
sign,” Parsons said. “We’re certainly encouraged by that.”
Annualizing the
ridership numbers from the first third of the year results in a projected
increase in annual revenues of $342,935, Parsons noted.
Projected net
revenue in 2015: $9,724.
On-time rush-hour
performance through April was 89.8 percent: 652 of 714 trains. Nearly half
of the late rush-hour trains, 64 or 4.8 percent, were delayed by five to 10
minutes. Not quite a quarter of the other late rush-hour trains, 28 or 2.1
percent, were delayed by over 30 minutes. On-time performance was best in
March, at 93.5 percent; and worst in February, at 84.7 percent.
Leading causes of
rush-hour delays: Metra delays; reduced speed due too restrictive signals;
weather; and conflicts in single-track territory.
Re: April 27